This past weekend I took part in the education symposium for the Crohns and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). Along with my friend and colleague Barbara Harrison Klaynan we ran the pediatric portion of the event. Typically at this event there are loads of kids, but this year there were only 2. They happened to be the same age of 15 and it was really awesome. Even though only 2 kids showed up – I believe that we managed to make an impact. Barbara had some great drama therapy activities to play with the kids and I did a few yoga stretches and breathing exercises with them. One of the kids was just recently diagnosed with crohns and he seemed to not be in the greatest place when he first came into the room. By the end, he was talking and laughing with the other kid and I’d like to think that we created a safe space where both children knew that A) they weren’t alone with this disease and B) they could open up to us since we knew exactly what they were going through.

There really is something about ‘being in this together’ and not feeling like you’re completely alone. If you haven’t been to a CCFA event yet, get yourself to one. There are walks and races all around the country and it’s a fantastic place to meet people that are just like us. Colitis and crohns are ‘silent’ diseases since you can’t see them from the outside, and that’s why it’s even more important to stick together. Spread the word to those that you know and love that there are other people out there and we need to connect and stay together.

In this exciting, time in my life – my belly doesn’t know the difference between excitement and anxiety. You can understand how that might pose a problem for someone like me who has ulcerative colitis. It’s our 4th week open at Soul Flyte – a boutique AntiGravity® yoga/fitness studio in Nyack, NY that I’ve opened – things are going really well… much better then we had anticipated and I’m beyond grateful every single day. That doesn’t mean that my belly understands that though. My emotions have always gone straight to my belly leaving me feeling anxious not about my business, but about my belly! I’ve had trouble sleeping and have to work really hard on quieting my thoughts – somewhat business related but also belly related.

What I’ve come to realize during this time is how important it is to show up at my meditation corner. Even if I sit for 5 minutes and maybe my mind was racing the whole time, at least I sat… At least I gave it a try. Routine has always been my best friend and sticking to one is very important during this time for me. I know you can most likely relate in one way or another. Whenever you feel like you don’t want to meditate, that’s the most important time to get back to your cushion, or corner.

I just finished my AntiGravity® restorative yoga teacher training and I’m even more in love with this technique then ever before. Nyack, NY has something very, very special coming with our AntiGravity® restorative classes starting up at Read more »

“Free Yourself” – the wise words of a graffiti artist in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. To me – it means a lot. Ever since I graduated college I’ve worked hard to find “my place” in the career world. Everything that I’ve done up until this point was crucial in helping to shape me into who I am today. Let me tell you though – getting here was tough. My mind Read more »

The negative stories we tell ourselves ring true and might even turn into disease.

What if you woke up every single morning and before you got out of bed said 3 positive words or phrases to yourself? I’ve realized that we become our thoughts. Even if you woke up this morning and you didn’t sleep well, you feel sick, Read more »

I just returned home from a nice 4-day mini get away with Chad. We went down to Maryland/ D.C. for a wedding. I can’t tell you how refreshed I feel after taking a step back from my work. I’ve been working really hard on building a Read more »

A couple of weeks back I was part of a video shoot at Healthfirst. I teach meditation and chair yoga classes there a few times per month and they wanted to be able to share my classes with their employees that work remotely. The videos are posted above for you to check out. Enjoy!

There’s a common misconception in our society that we need to eat protein at every single meal. I beg to differ. Protein in one or two meals a day is plenty in my book. In fact, the American society is the only one I know of that makes dinner the heaviest meal of the day – everyone else eats heaviest at lunch so that they have the rest of the day to digest. Read more »

Have you heard about coconut aminos? Essentially it’s the sap from a coconut that’s filled with amino acids, which rebuild muscle tissue, boost the immune system and raise physical energy levels – along with much, much more! I just learned about this magical condiment and used it in one of my recipes in place of soy sauce. Chad is doing the Whole Read more »

Let’s talk about Fear. I’ve come to realize that this thing we call fear might possibly be ingrained into our cells. No matter what we do to overcome it, it will always be lurking in the background. This is something I’ve been working on for a while now. What I’ve realized is that – because my grandparents were in the holocaust – there was serious fear Read more »

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Testimonials

During the time that I was living in NYC, Shira was my yoga teacher. Her class helped me to release stress after a long day at work. At times Working in NYC could be very stressful and hectic. Practicing yoga with Shira has definitely helped calm my nerves and I always felt relaxed after our session. Also, Shira’s teaching technique is very effective in helping relieve pain from sitting in front of a computer all day. I was also able to focus on positive energy. Her yoga class was not only healthy for my mind and spirit but it was also fun.— Paridee, former NYer